The United Kingdom is a country that has been known to produce elite sporting talent throughout generations, with boxing being no exception.
Over the decades, British fighters have been involved in huge, high-profile fights. From the 20th century to Chris Eubank Jr. defeating Conor Benn, fight fans from the United Kingdom have not been short of entertainment.
When it comes to some of the boxers of the past who have hailed from the UK, some debate could be had as to who is the best to ever do it.
Some may opt for the undefeated fighter Joe Calzaghe, whilst others may choose former undisputed world champion Lennox Lewis.
However, one legendary boxing trainer has named his pick, which may surprise a few.
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Teddy Atlas says that Jimmy Wilde is the greatest British boxer of all time
Few boxing trainers have had as much success as Teddy Atlas. Possessing a deep insight into the world of boxing, Atlas has named Jimmy Wilde as the best British boxer of all time, in his opinion.
Speaking on THE FIGHT with Teddy Atlas, the coach picked Wilde as his number one pick.
‘The Mighty Atom’ Wilde competed from 1911-1923, with a professional record of 132-4-1, according to BoxRec. Competing in the flyweight division, the Welshman was a former world champion.
Atlas did not go into detail regarding why Wilde was given the nod as his number one pick, however, he referred to his impressive record.
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Chris Eubank and Tyson Fury miss out on Teddy Atlas’s top 10 list
Wilde was named as Atlas’s number one pick in a list of the ’10 Best British Boxers of all time.’ However, there were some notable modern omissions from his list.
The likes of Chris Eubank and Tyson Fury were not mentioned, despite being fan favorite athletes during their careers.
Ricky Hatton was given the number 10 spot by Atlas. ‘The Hitman’ retired in 2012, with a professional record of 45-3. Hatton only lost to Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, and Vyacheslav Senchenko in his career, which would see him become a world champion.
The number nine spot was given to John Conteh (34-4-1), as he was followed by former Sugar Ray Robinson opponent Randolph Turpin (66-8-1).
Listed at number seven was Roberto Duran’s self-proclaimed toughest-ever opponent, Ken Buchanan (61-8).
Lennox Lewis (42-2-1) and Joe Calzaghe (46-0) held the number six and five spots, respectively, as they are the highest ranked modern mentions.
Former super lightweight world champion Jack ‘Kid’ Berg (157-26-9) was Atlas’s number four pick. While, for his third choice, Ted ‘Kid’ Lewis (189-32-14) was named.
The runner-up in the coach’s list was former heavyweight champion Bob Fitzsimmons (60-8-4). The fighter was active between 1885-1914.